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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29961807">So, it's all about trickery to you?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordMinast/pseuds/LordMinast'>LordMinast</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Machiavelli and his Student [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fate/Grand Order</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Moriarty is a smart boi, Philosophy, Ritsuka is just learning so much, and also a bad influence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 02:01:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,058</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29961807</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordMinast/pseuds/LordMinast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ritsuka Fujimaru and James Moriarty discuss morality, scheming, and plan on how to attack the Indian Lostbelt.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fujimaru Ritsuka &amp; James Moriarty | Archer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Machiavelli and his Student [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2204178</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>So, it's all about trickery to you?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“So, it’s all about trickery to you, Moriarty?” Asked the younger man, sitting at a small table. The two men sat around the table, in a darkened room. The young one sighed, looking at a map of the world outside - a bleached, pale view of the continents, with three red crosses marked in three locations: Russia, Scandinavia and China. His raven hair grew wildly, as though he’d been neglecting to maintain a coherent haircut. Meanwhile, the deep bags under his eyes attest to that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The elder, on the other hand, seemed as lively as a man half his age, despite his grey hair. In his hands, a tumbler of brandy, the rich liquid sloshing and swirling as he idly shook the vessel. The only thing that the aesthetic was missing was a large cigar, but not even James Moriarty would be cruel enough to smoke in an enclosed space with somebody who didn’t care for it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Trickery? No, no. I rather detest trickery in the sense of idle foolery, though I suppose some humour could be derived from that. No, Fujimaru, I rather feel that frippery and pranks are beneath us. I don’t trick people, I scheme and deceive.” He punctuated his point with a drink, silence reigning as he poured small amounts of the alcohol down his throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe this is something that I have the wrong moral compass to understand, but what’s the difference?” The young man, Ritsuka Fujimaru asked. His face creased as he looked up, honestly confused by the wisdom being imparted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Well, that’s just it. Tricking people for the sake of tricking people is redundant. Frankly, it’s boring. It’s beneath intelligent men such as yourself.” Moriarty mused, thinking for a moment. “No, real joy is not just deceiving somebody, but using that to accomplish a goal. Do you understand?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“No, not really. This feels like the same idea, but with different results.” Ritsuka said, and Moriarty clapped his hands together, as though a breakthrough had been achieved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Yes! By jove, I rather think you’re getting there. While the essential methodology is the same, the results are completely different. If you’re tricking somebody for a minor tomfoolery, the window of time that they’re fooled for is too small to be of any satisfaction. For example, take the example of Feynman.” He chuckled, clearly enjoying the chance to lecture. Despite himself, Ritsuka was curious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Feynman? I’m afraid I don’t know them.” He responded, and Moriarty smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Of course, I doubt you would. He’s a fascinating man. For example, he was a man who was tirelessly dedicated to scientific progress and advancing the cause of logic and intelligence. Truly, someone who wanted to do good. Privately, I’m surprised that either he or one of his colleagues have yet to become a Servant. I suppose that it’s for the best though - despite his brilliance, he had one great sin on his character, and one minor personality quirk that we would consider to be a negative, here.” Moriarty noted, and Ritsuka nodded, urging him to continue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You see, Feynman helped develop the atomic bomb. But I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about the effect that had on your homeland - indeed, truly a grievous sin. Like I say, I don’t know why he has yet to become a servant. Though I suppose there are more prominent faces on that project like Oppenheimer.” Moriarty mused, as though he was discussing tea and biscuits, rather than the architects of a weapon that killed millions. “Right, but I was getting to the point. You see, Feynman enjoyed mischief. It sounds absurd, next to that more bloody crime, but it’s important. He mused that minor trickery on intelligent minds is pointless - because the time between the crime being realised and the crime being unravelled so small that no satisfaction can be gained.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So...you’re saying that pranks are boring? Is that what this all boils down to?” Ritsuka asked, quizzically. This seemed overly long as explanations went, unless there was more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Yes to the first, but no to the second! You see, yes, idly fooling someone isn’t interesting, or practical. But if you deceive and misdirect in search of a goal, to win some kind of battle - that kind of satisfaction is much more permanent. And more importantly, is much more justifiable. There is the morally good justification, and the morally dark justification.” He said, and paused, seemingly waiting for Ritsuka to ask for elaboration.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So...could you elaborate?” He said, and Moriarty grinned widely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Of course! So, the morally good one. You could argue that, if you’re going to do something bad, then the results of your actions must achieve an equivalent level of good, at the very least! Of course, this is a slippery slope - after all, as I said, Feynman thought he was right even as he toiled on a weapon that ended millions - but if you’re cautious, then it can be a point of moral good, even in the face of doing evil.” He chuckled, before continuing. “As for the evil...well, larger victories are just so much more fascinating. So you see, master, don’t waste your time with minor tricks. Focus your time on deceiving and crushing your enemies. After all, there are only four left, right?” He mused, and Ritsuka was curious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>On some level, he wanted to reject what Moriarty was saying. He felt like this was an easy way to lose his sense of self, to become someone as calculating and cruel as Moriarty or the Crypters. But on the other hand, he’d already had to do awful things to defend the course of Proper Human History. So perhaps if he went further into scheming, he could do that with less bloodshed. That’d be good, right?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. So the fourth crypter is Scandinavia Peperoncino. We know he wanted to summon an Archer...apparently he wanted to summon Ashwatthama? Maybe he succeeded. After all, Ophelia successfully summoned Sigurd, even if he wasn’t quite right.” Ritsuka mused, and Moriarty nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Indeed, not very difficult to figure that one out. I’m almost disappointed. Do we know who the Lostbelt King is, though?” Moriarty said, a half smile on his face. He knew, of course, but he wasn’t going to say. When Ritsuka shrugged, he spoke again. “Allow me to ask you a question, Master. How would you discover the behaviour of things you can’t measure? For example, a quark, the fundamental unit that makes up particles like protons and neutrons and all those fascinating things.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I suppose...get better equipment?” Ritsuka asked, but Moriarty only shook his head before continuing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Ambitious. Ambitious, but wrong. Think, boy. Allow me to give you a hint - nothing happens in a vacuum.” He said, waiting patiently as Ritsuka thought to himself, thinking out loud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Things can happen in vacuum though...wait, there’s that saying. So…” As realisation hit, he jumped up. “You measure the effects it has on other things! For example, you can’t see a black hole, but you can see the light being pulled into it!” As once, Moriarty gave a series of claps, grinning widely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Exactly, young man! You’ve got it! When you can’t observe something, observe the entire system and look for the interactions. So, if you can’t observe the Lostbelt King of India…” He paused, waiting for Ritsuka to think it out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“So Russia had Ivan the Terrible, who was brutal but fought to maintain a kingdom. Scandinavia had Skadi in the body of Scatatch, which meant that she was a peaceful goddess in the body of a warrior. China has Qin Shi Huang, who was an empire builder who slaughtered the confucians. So...you need someone who builds authority at the price of blood, but is a big, big powerful person, on the level of gods. None of the Hindu Trideva would do on their own, though - Shiva is destructive, which fits half of the puzzle, but not the other half. Vishnu preserves, but doesn’t create, so that doesn’t fit - all of the other kings made something, be it the Yaga, the villages, or the Empire that spanned the world. And Brahma creates, but lacks the destructiveness of the other kings. So you’d need all three of them together.” Ritsuka mused, and Moriarty interjected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Logical. But there’s no evidence that you can have more than one Lostbelt King.” He said, challenging the viewpoint, but Ritsuka responded instantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Ah, but you can have more than one god in one host. For example, Sitonai had three major entities. Or, more relevant, Parvati. She’s having to use the spear of Shiva to qualify as a lancer servant. So you can have multiple gods in one host.” Ritsuka said, and Moriarty took a deep sip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Oh, you’re so close. So, who could be a host for the Trideva? Think about it.” He said, and Ritsuka thought back to his memories of Indian History. He vaguely remembered the Mahabharata, and how it ended - eventually, the principal cast ended up as gods. Karna died first, and this would have to be before the ascension to the gods, so that left…</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Arjuna. Arjuna must be the host. It explains why Scandinavia couldn’t or didn't summon him despite him being the best Archer in that Lostbelt.” Ritsuka said, and Moriarty grinned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Yes! Marvellous, young master. You’re learning to analyse and conquer. Now, we can’t predict exactly how Arjuna will fight. But we can predict the movements of our Crypter and his servant. Indeed, the servant was known for being lost in grief and rage, so he should be a predictable one. No, the real challenge is, how do we kill Scandinavia Peperoncino?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kill him?” If Ritsuka had been drinking, he would have spat it out. “I want to stop him, not kill him!” </span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you so ignorant to not see how one is much the same as the other? The Crypters will fight to the end, Master. Even Kadoc only fled when he was forced to.” Moriarty interjected. “Sometimes you might have to kill someone to finish a conflict quickly. Indeed, you can’t negotiate here. Either they win and you die, or you win and they die. Faltering during the quick draw will only get you killed - and in fact, almost did in Russia, Master.” The words were harsh, but spoken kindly - like a concerned father.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Even if that’s true, if I go around executing people, how am I better than them?” He responded, and Moriarty sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Why do you assume you are? Do you seriously believe that none of the Crypters earnestly believe that what they’re doing is right? Master, there is no moral high ground. You are fighting for survival, as are they. This is a disgusting, grim conflict, where nobody is right. You must win, so that you and others may live. But the same is equally true for them. You are fighting people who think that they are right, and see what they are doing as creation, rather than destruction. So, let me ask you, master - what makes your perspective the correct one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Every Lostbelt we’ve seen has been hellish. Everyone was either cattle, like in Scandinavia, depressed and forced to kill each other to survive, like in Russia, or totally subjugated, like in China. I’m fighting for a free world.” Ritsuka said, and Moriarty chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“That’s more like it. But does that make it just for you to kill the Crypters, young master?” He asked, and Ritsuka spoke without hesitation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“No. Which is why I won’t do it. But I will stop them - that much is morally good.” Ritsuka proclaimed, and Moriarty nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Hmm. Well, you’re closer to understanding how grey the world can be. I think that concludes our talk this time, Master. I hope you’ll think about what I’ve said - and do remember that good people do bad things, sometimes. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Moriarty said, standing up and finishing his brandy. With a pat on the back, he strode away, leaving Ritsuka to think.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span>Some part of him was terrified of what Moriarty would convince him about next time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span></span><br/>
<span><br/>
</span>
  <span>But some part of him was interested enough to know that he was going to show up regardless. Maybe he was slipping into a darker place, but maybe, just maybe, he could apply what he learned without becoming the villain he feared he was.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yes this is entirely self-indulgent</p><p>In my defence between just finishing Shinjuku and doing the new event with Moriarty, I just wanted to write about him and Ritsuka being big brain bois. And also apparently I just wanted to reference Pathologic.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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